Pedestal for car-trucks.



- E. A. CURTIS.

. PEDESTAL `FOB. UAB. TRUCKS. APPLIOAT'IOIFILBD AUG. 16, 1807. 91 1 ,'575. Patented Feb.^9', 1909.

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# o fo'? g i 'f' 'GO E. A.-GURTIS. lBDESTAL FOR GAR TRUCKS. nrLmATIoN gum Aue.1e,1eov.

Patented Fb. 9, 1909.

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EDMUND A. lCURTIS, OF DEOATUR, ILLINOIS.;

PEDESTAL FR CAR-TRUCKS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 9, 1909.

Application led August 16, 1907. Serial No. 388,798.

To all 'whom fit may concern:I

Be it known that I, EDM-UND A. CURTIS, a

citizen of the United States, residing at Decatur, in the county of Macon and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Pedestals for Car- Trucks, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in pedestals for car trucks.

Among the salient objects of the invention are to provide a construction which may be struck out by means of dies and formed up from sheet material in such manner as to economize in cost oflconstruction, reduce the weight of material used, and at the same time produce a stronger and more durable structure; to provide a construction which aifords a certain amount of flexibility or yieldability between the connections of the pedestal with the ournalbox to the end that the truck frame may be relievedof'unneces-` sary racking stresses; to provide improvements in the construction of the parts which are subject to the greatest amount of chaling or wear which prolongs the life of the structure and in general to provide a construction which-is simple, strong,andfcomposed of relatively few and inexpensive parts.

The invention consists in the matters hereinafter described, and more particularly pointed out 1n the appended claims. l

In thedrawings-Figure l is a view'm side elevation of an end portion of a truck frame equipped with a pedestal embodying the invention; Fig. 2 is a view chieiy intop plan but partly in horizontal sectionl of the parts shown in Fig. l; Fig. 3V is a longitudinal vertical sectional view, taken on line 3 3 of Fig. 2; Figs. v4 andare sectional views taken respectively on lines 4 4 and 5-5 of Fig. 1, and looking in the direction of the arrows; Fig. 6 is a face view of the blank from which the inner one of the main pedestal members is formed;`

sary strength and rigidity these castings have necessarily been made heavy and diIicult to handle. Moreover, castings are always likely to contain flaws which may or may not be discovered before the truck is put into use and the work of dressing away imperfections, drilling bolt and rivet holes, and other machine work, is such as to make the cost of cast pedestals unduly high while at the same time they are not as safe or durable as when made of forged orrolled metal.

In carrying the present invention into effect I strike out from sheet metal of suitable weight, by means of suitable dies, two main blanks to form the two main members 1 and 2 of the pedestal. These blanks, in making the preferred embodiment shown, are shaped as illustrated in Figs. 6 and 7, and then bent along lines approximately coincident with the vertical sides of the upper central notch, to bring the two sides parallel with each other and with the connecting portion 3 eX- teriorly slightly convex.

Through the rectangular` apertures 4 of each pedestal member is arranged to extend a bar 5, upon the underside of each end of which is mounted a spring centering stud, as 6. In order to unite the bar 5 with each side of the pedestal body, angle pieces 7 are provided, yeach having its base portion 8 resting upon the upper-side of the projecting end of the bar and its upright portion 9 resting against the outer face of the corresponding side of the pedestal. These angle pieces are suitably riveted to the face of the pedestal and to the bar 5, and desirably the same bolts or rivets 10 which secure the centering studs 'are utilized for uniting the angle pieces withv the bar.

The upper end of each pedestal member l and 2 is constructed to receive a single upper wheel piece 11; the notch in the upper side of the blank being formed for this purpose and being made coincident in depth with the inset depth' of the wheel piece. Usually, and as shown in the drawings, the wheel piece is .ofv less thickness than the distance between the opposed sides of the pedestal members and accordingly filling or space blocks .l2 are interposed between the pedestal sides and said wheel piece, as shown clearly in Figs` 4' and 5. Rivets 13 are arranged to extend through the pedestal from side to side and through the interposed wheel piece lioV estal member rigidly with the wheel piece. The lower end of the pedestal member 1 also receives and supports the ends of a pair of parallel lower wheel pieces 14 and 14X, a rabbeted space block 15 being interposed between these wheel pieces and the parts rigidly united by through rivets 16, as seen clearly in Figs. 1 and 4.

The pedestal member 2 receives and supports the ends of the front sill member 17 of the truck, which in the construction shown is located about midheight of the pedestal member. rlhe engaging end of this sill member is of duplex construction, as seen clearly in F ig. 9, and between the two members thereof is interposed a space block 1S (see Fig. 5) in general similar to the space bloclr 15 described, and the parts are in this instance united by through rivets 19.

The pedestal members 1 and il are tied together at their lower' ends by means of a tiebar Q0, and to receive this tie-bar the lower end of the space block 15 in the pedestal member 1 is recessed, as indicated at 15, while in the pedestal member Q a special space block 22 is interposed and similarly recessed. The tie-bar is also secured in position by through rivets 23.

The journal box, designated as a whole 2t, extends through the pedestal frame in the usual manner, but is constructed in a p culiar manner in so far as its portions which contact with and wear upon the pedestal members are concerned. The journal box is provided at each side with a pair of spring supporting ears 25 which respectively reeeive the lower ends of coiled springs 26 having their upper ends engaged with the bars 5. rthe weight of the truck and its load is transmitted to the car journal through these sets of springs, and accordingly the upper wheel piece 11 is normally7 supported above the top of the journal box far enough to afford free play of the springs without bringing the wheel piece into engagementwith the journal box.

As an improved feature of the present invention, l lso construct the meeting or contacting portions of the pedestal and sides of the journal box as to afford a slightyielding movement or relief against rigidity between the truck frame and the axl and journal boxes carried thereby; this yielding m vement serving to relieve against horizontal diagonal or oblique stresses. To this end l construct the inner faces of the pedestal members which engage the sides of the journal box curved in cross section, and preferably, and as shown in the present instance, convexly curved, as seen clearly at 27 (Fig. The opposed surface portions of the journal box are similarly curved in cross section, as indicated at 2S, but preferably the pedestal members are curved on a slightly smaller radius than the opposed meeting surfaces on the journal box, so that the principal points of contact between these parts are normally along lines coincident with the central portions of said meeting parts.

lith the parts meeting and engaging each other in this manner it will be obvious that the journal box is susceptible of a limited horizontal oscillatory or rocking movement relatively to the openings in the truck frame or pedestals through which the wheel axle and journal boxes extend. n importata. result obtained by this construction is that the journal boxes are to a` large extent relieved of the twisting stresses brought thereon duringl the passage of the trucli over curved portions of the track, and being so relieved, the wear of the car journals within the journal boxes is made practically uniform so far as horizontally lateral wear is concerned. liforeover, this slight yielding` or relief movement between the truck frame and (he car journals is of great importance in imparting to the structure enough elasticity lo relieve the mechanism of unnecessary stresses without detracting from the proper degree of rigidity for practical purposes.

ln order to provide for the yielding movement described, the spring suppi'n'ling ars Q5, which serve to confine the journal box against endwise movement relatively lo lhc truclr frame, are from their base portions outwardly inclined slightly away from the sides of the pedestal n'ieinbers, as indicated in a somewhat exaggerated degree as shown in 2.'

fis a further feature of improvement l provide renewable clmhlrg` plates which overlie and form the curved meeting wear surfaces QT and 2S of the pedestal and journal box, respectively. The chaling` plates il() upon the journal box have their upper and lower endsl crimped into retaining recesses` 31, as :seen clearly in sectional Fig. l. while the chafing plates 3Q upon the j iedestal members may be conveniently secured in position by bolts having their outer heads countersunl flush with the wear surfaces.

ln the principal figures of the drawing the spring` supportingears Q5 z re shown as cast ii; al with the opposite sides of the, joural nox; this being a usual construction. lf preferred. however, these spring supporting ears may be formed by the lower outlurncd ends of stirrups or hangers l-lY (seey Fig. fl) which straddle the journal box, as shown clearly in said ligure. These stirrups or hangers are made of wrought metal forged or otherwise formed to shape, and they may be rigidly secured in position in any suitable manner, for example, by rivets or bolts extending therethrough and through the sides of the journal box.

It will be obvious that thc invention is capable of embodiment in various modified forms and that some of the features of the invention are capable of utilization independently of others, and theclaims hereto appended have been drawn accordingly.

I claim as my invention:

l. ln a car truck, a pedestal trame provided with a journal box opening having4 parallel vertical side walls and a journal box extending through said pedestal opening and movable therein, said vertical side walls having divergent line contact with the sides of said journal box.

2. In a car truck, a horizontally-disposed main truck frame comprising `a pedestal trame at each side of the main frame, a journal box seated in each pedestal frame, a wheeled car axle journaled in said journal boxes, and divergent line surfaces providing rocker engagement between the sidesoil the journal boxes and pedestal members of the truck frame.

ln a car truck, a pedestal frame provided with a journal box opening having parallel vertical side walls, and a journal box seated in said Aopening and engaging said vertical side walls, and contact portions of the vertical side walls of the pedestal frame being curved in cross section and oi substantially uniform cross sectional size throughout, and the opposed contact portions of said journal box being also curved in cross section, the contact portions of said vertical side walls being formed in arcs of dii'erent radii from the opposed contact portions of said journal box.

el. ln a car truck, a pedestal frame provided with a journal box opening, the lateral bounding walls of which are convex in cross sectional form, and a journal box extending tlirough said pedestal opening and provided with concavely curved recesses in its sides engaging said convexly curvedpportions of the pedestal frame, said concave recesses having arcs of ditlerent radii from the arcs of said convex portions.

ln a car truck, a pedestal :trame provided with a journal box opening having parallel vertical side walls, a journal box extending through said pedestal opening and seated between said vertical side walls, a chaing plate mounted upon each sidfe of the journal box and cooperating chaling plates mounted upon and overlying each of the vertical side walls which bound the pedestal opening, the contacting wear surfaces oi said chafing plates being interlitted to have rocker engagement.

6. ln a car truck, a pedestal frame provided at its upper part with four outstand ing spring supporting luG's andy having a journal box opening provided with parallel vertical side walls, a journal box extending through said pedestal opening and seated between said vertical sideV walls, chaling plates mounted upon each side of the journal box, coperating Charing plates mounted. upon each of said parallel vertical side walls of the pedestal, the contacting .wear surfaces of said chaing plates being interlitted to have rocker engagement with each other,'spring supporting ears upon each side of the journal box and arranged to respectively register with the spring sup porting lugs of the pedestal trame, and coiled expansion springs interposed between the several Vpairs of ears. and lugs, said spring supporting ears ot' the journal box being arranged to project at opposite sides of the pedestal frame and confining the latter againstbodily movement in the direction of the axis of the ouriial box.

7. A pedestal frame member comprising a pair of registering sheet metal plates, an interposed wheel piece, and through-boltsor rivets vextending through said registering plates and wheel piece and rigidly uniting said parts.

"8. A pedestal frame member comprising a pair of spaced apart registering sheet metal plates integrally united with each other at corresponding margins of said plates, space blocks interposed between said plates, a wheel piece likewise interposed between said plates and engaging said space block, and through-bolts or rivets rigidly uniting said parts.

9. In a car truck frame, a pedestal frame comprising two .main pedestal frame members, each formed of registering parallel sheet metal plates, integrally united with each kother along corresponding margins by a transversely extending portion, a frame bar extending between and secured to the upper portions of each of said members, a tie bar extending between and secured to the vlower portions of each of said members, and

spring supporting lugs mounted upon upper portions of the respective main pedestal frame members and projecting laterally therefrom at eaoli side thereof.

l0. ln a car truck frame, a pedestal frame comprising two main pedestal frame members, each formed of two registering parallel sheet metal plates integrally united withV each other 'along those margins of the memvber which in the assembled frame are proximate, by transversely extending wall portions, a frame bar extending between and rigidly secured to the upper portions ot each of said main members,la tie bar extending between and rigidly secured to the lower portions of each of said main pedestal members, said upper bar, tie bar and the uniting wall portions of the main pedestal members together forming the bounding walls of a `journal box opening, a spring supporting bar extending at right angles through the upper portion of each of said main pedestal members and projecting at each side thereof, and angle irons secured to each of the several projecting portions of the bars and to4 the Corresponding proximate side iees of the main pedestal frame members.

l1. A pedestal trame member formed from a blank of sheet metal, notched about midif'idth at its upper and lower margins,

bent upon itself along its central verteilV line und provided with registering ber apertures, e. ber extendin3 l through seid ipertures and protruding at each side., and angle pieces secured to the protruding portions or the bnr and to the proximate side faces of the blank.

l2. ln zi our truck, a. pedestal frame provided with :i journal box opening` having` parallel vertical side walls, :i journnl box extending' through sziid pedestal opening,Y und eonlined between smid side Hills, :i ehnlfingr` plete secured to either side olf smid journnl box by haring their upper :ind lower ends crimped oxer the respective upper :1nd lower ends ol smid journal box.

EDMUND A. CURTIS.

lllitnesses:

Jns, D.

lor A,

Jonxsox STEWART. 

